Hiddleston & Atwell Much Ado @ the Winter Garden — Page 3

I don't really understand Rudin's strategy of extending SALESMAN this early. (But I don't understand a lot about him.) It had a strong first week, but this is also the type of show that will be frontloaded with New York theatergoers, an ever-shrinking group of people.

I just spot-checked some dates over the next month and most are only half full.

A love letter from Helen Shaw + multiple big Tony wins could help sales. But this is a big house to fill for five months.

 

Kad said: "Rudin's got Barry Diller's billions on his side, which helps. But I assume that Rudin thought he could just return, as if the industry hadn't changed in the intervening years. His apparent reluctance or refusal to have productions engage with social media will not be helpful."

SALESMAN at least seems like a small step in the right direction as far as digital content goes with that Ben Brantley video interview that is everywhere on my socials.

There are also more people around him for this one, and the stakes are higher. He has a different GM (RCI) who is more adept at plays than the firm he used for LBRR. He's got Roy Furman as a fellow Lead Producer + 15 co-producers. He's got a proper marketing director (Anna DeVito, who is in-house at Shubert and works on a number of other shows) and IBDB lists longtime Met Opera PR guru Lee Abrahamian as a consultant.

His prior audience of older, white theatergoers who would spend $150 on a play has diminished greatly. It was already diminishing at the time of his cancellation, but no Broadway show can rely solely on that group nowadays. He needs casual theatergoers, tourists, and young people.

The Wallace Shawn play has a similarly long run on sale.

Anyone heard anything further on this re: dates/ticket sales?

Unfortunately, no closer to an on sale date yet. I’m beginning to wonder if they’ll wait until after the Tonys.
Perhaps they’ll have Hiddleston and Atwell present something together